#and afterwards the police kept it quiet because they were afraid the organization would come back for jimmy

[stormyoceans]

monica monica monicaaaaaa!!! the latest photoshoot has provided great inspiration for several jimmysea series and AHHHHHHHH. like im so clearly imagining a mafia, assassin, or gang drama with them as friends or on & off coworkers that get assigned to kill each other but they can't do it bc its each other and HELP!!! 🫠

CCAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I KNOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW IM SO OBSESSED WITH THAT WHOLE PHOTOSHOOT IN GENERAL AND THAT BACK TO BACK PICTURE IN PARTICULAR I TRULY HAVEN'T STOPPED THINKING ABOUT IT SINCE THEY FIRST RELEASED IT AND NOW THAT YOU MENTIONED THEM GETTING ASSIGNED TO KILL EACH OTHER I FEEL SO RABID ABOUT IT

and you'll have to forgive me for hijacking your idea but my mind is going a thousand miles per hour so just. HEAR ME OUT

what if jimmy is an undercover cop who is sent to infiltrate one of the biggest crime organizations in thailand to bring it down from the inside and expose its leader. this mission is actually personal for jimmy because his mom, who was also a cop, was the chief investigation officer in a case related to it and when she got too close to discover proofs of the organization's involvement they sent people to kill her and her family. jimmy was the only survivor, just by pure luck, and vowed to take revenge

so right after becoming an agent he is assigned a new identity and approaches known members of the organization to gain access to it, but being in a gang means that you have to climb the ladder before being trusted with information, and jimmy is aiming at the top, so it takes him years to rise to a position of power. during those first years of petty works like small scams and car thefts and running illegal gambling spots, jimmy meets sea, who just like him is new to the organization and stuck doing these lower jobs, and they work so well together that after being paired up a couple of times they start to get a reputation for getting shits done. jimmy knows full well he shouldn't get attached to anyone, but slowly his partnership with sea turns into a genuine friendship, and the more he gets to know sea, the more everything becomes so much more complicated

ANYWAY. all this to say that at some point, after they've both made a name for themselves and made it closer to the top, something goes wrong (maybe jimmy betrays himself in some way or there's a dirty cop that gives him away idk) and the leader of the organization finds out about jimmy, so they kinda set him up: on one hand, they reveal his identity to sea and order him to kill jimmy; on the other, they tell jimmy they have proof that sea is an undercover cop and order jimmy to kill him (not sure if it makes much sense, but like. maybe they start doubting sea's loyalty as well, so if sea manages to kill jimmy, that's good, but if jimmy kills him instead, they know that's the one thing that's gonna hurt jimmy the most because sea is his only weakness)

THE POINT IS!!!!!!!! most heated encounter where sea is both so angry and hurt because of jimmy's lies and jimmy is desperately torn between sea and his revenge and they're shooting at each other and beating each other up and at one point jimmy has sea pinned on the floor and sea is screaming at jimmy with a bloody mouth to just kill him already and jimmy just can't, he can't he can't he can't, and then sea is pushing jimmy off of him and grabbing the gun that he had lost during the fight and pointing it at jimmy and he is shacking so badly he can't even aim it properly and does he even want to he knows he should because none of it was real nothing jimmy ever said to him was real and sea hates hates hates him just as much as he is in love with him and before sea realizes it he is throwing the gun away with a scream

AND NOW IT'S JUST THE TWO OF THEM AGAINST THE WORLD HAVING TO LEARN TO TRUST EACH OTHER AGAIN AND ALSO TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THEY'RE IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER AND IDK WHERE I WANTED TO GO WITH THIS BUT YWAH. YEAH

[fortheloveoffanfic]

Protective Service

John Wick x Reader (A/n- Hopefully this chapter isn’t too confusing. Flashbacks in italics)

Masterlist   Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3

Warnings- Mentions of murder/violence, angst

Chapter 4 Beautiful Nightmares

Drenched and breathless, Y/n awoke with a startle, her wide eyes confused by the darkness. It took a moment before she’d realized where she was; in her bedroom at her penthouse, safe and alone. Her chest was dominated by heavy, uneven breaths and the black silk of her simple, lace edged camisole clung to her skin uncomfortably. Even as Y/n tried to settle herself, inhaling deeply through her overly dry mouth, she couldn’t push the flashes from her very vivid dream away;

A couple, swaying in each other’s arms as pale yellow moonlight washes the dark wooden panels constituting the floor of the back porch as soft music wafts from a radio on an end table. The woman’s giggles are soft as her husband leads them in a  slow, casual waltz and not too far off, after she’s been told to not stray near the lake, a young girl no older than six, plays with a plastic fairy wand, entertaining herself. She loves fairies; she wishes they were real but her mother always reminds her that they are, and that she’d the most beautiful one of them all.

It was one of Y/n’s fondest memories of her parents, the last one that had really embedded itself in her memory before the bad. Their love was one that seemed to stand out above rest, though, Y/n supposed that at that age, she couldn’t have known much about romantic love anyways. She hadn’t learned much more about afterwards either, only that it was destructive. That in the end, all it could do was hurt you.

The fire below the rustic, cobblestone mantle laps viciously at the iron barrier separating it from the rest of the sitting room. Not too far off, near the designated holder, one of the pokers lay forgotten. He hasn’t really spoken to anyone in days, not even his seven year old daughter and his eyes have taken on this sort of vacancy that makes its almost frightening to look at him. She’s scared of him, and the only person that would know what to do is gone. Meredith is gone, for good. They took her. It’s been three days since they found her on his birthday, three days since he knew that everything had changed, even if he can’t quite explain it to their daughter. Three days since she’s been asking for her mommy and three days since she’d gone from adoring him to fearing the shell of what he used to be.

The dream, it had taken a nightmarish turn and at some point, Y/n wasn’t watching her parents dance in the backyard while she chased fire files, instead, she was standing in the doorway of the sitting room, watching her father stare that the fireplace, wondering how the bravest man she knew could seem so lost. She hadn’t understood then, and she wouldn’t, not until the funeral, where a large service had taken place at a mortuary and the police had showed up, poking and prodding until someone, Donavan’s father, who had a long standing connection with the commissioner’s office, had stepped in and scared them off. That was probably the day he’d really changed, her father. After that evening he’d gone from broken to cold and ruthless. No one stood in his way because they were simply afraid to, and without his wife as a buffer, things had changed in his organization quickly. Trust could no longer be borrowed, it was earned and traitors were appropriately dealt with. If he couldn’t bring back his wife, then he’d definitely vent his frustrations where he could.

After Meredith passed, Y/n had clung to her father, even if he’d never been the same. He’d cut out most of his affectionate traits and though they were close, most of his time was spent molding her into someone unshakeable. Someone who wouldn’t ever have to feel the way he did. It was working too, by her teens, Y/n had developed into a stolid adolescent, able to suppress whatever she was feeling so she could one day grow into the woman he’d be proud of. The woman he’d never meet.

Money, it makes everything easier. People like you better, you can shop wherever you want and know one bats a lash when you do something you shouldn’t have. Or maybe, just maybe, that last thing isn’t a consequence of money. Maybe it’s fear. It doesn’t matter though, she’s used to that too, the look of fear in people’s eyes when she walks into a room. Even her father’s muscle sometimes squirm around her, there’s no telling what she’ll do or say, she’s just so…...vulturine. Face of an angel with the prowl of a predator. But even predators have bad days, terrible days, the one that becomes their worst day. 

Hers came after one of the most mundane afternoons of her life; she’d gone to a little pastry shop in the city with the son of one of her father’s affiliates. He’s a nice boy, just a couple years her senior and while letting people in is hard, Jack understands the life. Y/n’s dad likes him too. Her dad. “Daddy?” She calls out, pushing one half of the front double door closed behind her as she steps inside, the heel of her booth thudding quietly on the hardwood. It’s eerily quiet in the manor and in the air hangs a metallic smell that she knows all too well. The combination of gunpowder and blood. Usually, it's the smell she associates with her father and the business he’s training her to take over, but that evening, there’s a distinct portentousness that mingles with it. It’s too quiet, too cold, as if someone forgot to turn up the heat to combat the temperate fall evenings. 

“Daddy?” she calls again, only to gasp upon entering his home office. The white rug dominating the room is saturated with warm red and some of it’s even seeped out to the hardwood, probably staining it and almost causing Y/n’s to slip as she hurriedly enters. “Daddy,” she emits a choked breath as she sinks to her knees, not caring if the blood soaks the blue denim of her jeans. Immediately, she pulls off her scarf, doing the only thing that seems logical in that moment, pressing it to the gaping gash on his neck, trying to quell the rapid, almost cinematic flow. That’s sort of how it feels too, like Y/n’s been plopped into a movie, because that can’t be real, her father can’t be dying in her arms. “Hold on, okay?” Her mind is going twenty miles a minute and while she knows that there are people that she can call for help, all she can think is that she needs to help him now. 

He tries to speak, though, he’s literally drowning in his own blood, and that’s the first time that Y/n realizes that his wounds are mortal. Not just the slashed throat, but also several stab wounds to the chest. The sounds are sickly and stomach turning, and the sight isn’t much different, but still, she persists, he won’t see her undone. Even if inside, Y/n feels like she’s being ripped apart; torn to shreds by winter breeze. The feeling makes something change inside her, and as she presses the rich cashmere to the split in her father’s neck, Y/n feels the surge of something inhumane shoot up inside. The last shred, the only person she can truly care for has been snatched away, and in that moment, she becomes what he’s wanted her to be for the past thirteen years, made in his image. Utterly ruthless, unashamedly vengeful and undeniably frightening. 

The dream, even after several minutes of sitting up in her California king, stuck with her, and if Y/n shut her eyes, she could still feel the warmth of blood on her hands and hear the sounds that her father made as he struggled to take his last breaths. It had been a while since she’d last had a dream like that, but Y/n would have preferred to attribute the runnings of her subconscious to the events of the past couple weeks; having to clean up the mess of a betrayal but more so her mother’s birthday. With a heavy, deflated sigh, she flopped back, moving messy hair away from her face and dragging her fingers along her scalp. 

The clock on her bedside read as twenty minutes to four and despite the hour, Y/n knew that committing to slumber soon wouldn’t have been possible, so instead, she slunk out of bed, not even bothering with her robe as she slipped her feet into a pair of comfortable, fluffy flip flops before heading towards the door.

It was a soft, hesitant knocking that roused John from his slumber. A heavy sleeper might not have heard it, but his ears were trained, never missing a thing, and he awoke almost immediately. Groggily, he took a moment to blink sleep out of his eyes as he weaned his hand out from under the pillow, where he usually kept a pistol. Registering the time as quarter to four in the morning, John also noted the near darkness of the large room, the only light besides that of the neon green numbers of the digital alarm clock being whatever filtered through the thin, grey curtains; some from apartments in the opposing building, a street lamp and the quarter moon. It was enough to wash the shiny marble floor with a white glow, though not nearly enough to disturb John's sleep.

Again, the knocking on his bedroom door called his attention, and with a soft sigh, John flipped the thick duvet off his legs, planting his feet on the floor and padding barefoot towards the door. "Y/n?" He knitted his brows upon the sight of her; dressed in the suggestive pajama set he'd glimpsed her in earlier, the same one that had brought with it all sorts of crude thoughts as he'd fallen to sleep. 

"Hey," she breathed meekly, tongue darting out to moisten her bare lips as Y/n tucked some hair behind her ears. She seemed so unlike her usual self, a little unsure, and much…...softer, almost harmless even. The pale white light coming from the opposing window illuminated her delicate features with a near bluish, ethereal glow. "I uh," she cleared her throat, standing a bit straighter, "Sorry for waking you."

That was odd, she never apologized. Shaking his head dismissively, John’s hand slid up the edge of the door as he slid against the frame, fleeting sleepiness disturbing his focus. Or maybe it was something else. “It’s okay,” something about the mood felt…...off. John couldn’t describe it really, like the air was swirling with something electric, making everything a little hazy, “What are doing here? It’s late.”

“I know,” Y/n didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands, and John couldn’t help but notice the absence of confidence in her disposition. It was so unlike her to be so unsure of herself and jittery. “It’s just,” she hesitated, mulling on her next words, “I can’t stop thinking about you John,” his name was a breath of her lips and when Y/n finally reached out, her palm hovering over the sleeve of his t-shirt before landing on his bicep. “I know its……..sudden, but it's true, and I can’t take the not knowing anymore. John-”

“Its okay,” he reassured softly, his eyes softening as he stepped forward, reaching out to place a hand on her hip, he raised the other to brush a couple strands away from her face, “I feel the same. There’s just something about you,” he searched her gaze, still cupping her face and his thumb ghosted the apple of Y/n’s cheek, “It just pulls me in. I’ve tried Y/n, but I can’t get you out of my head.”

“Good,” sliding her hand up his shoulder, she embraced the side of his neck with her warm touch, leaning into John as she stood on her toes, “Have you been dreaming about me John?” He could feel her breath fanning his lips and feel the warmth of her skin emanating from her top, “The way I dream about you?” Y/n pecked the corner of his lips, curling her arm around his neck.

“Yes,” he shuddered, feeling her lips travel along his jaw, his crotch twitching appreciatively at their proximity. His arms locked around Y/n’s frame, ensuing she was flush against him and his senses had never felt so awakened, making John acutely aware of how her full breasts were pressed to his chest, and how silken her skin felt when a couple of his fingers evaded the hem of her blouse, gracing the lower part of her spine. “I dream that I’m touching you, feeling you around me. I dream that…..”

“That what?” Y/n reached up to nibble on his earlobe, her free hand journeying between their bodies to grope him through the thick material of his sweats, “What else do you dream about John?”

“That you’re mine,” involuntarily, he bucked into her expert touch, his grip on her tightening possessively, “I want you to be mine,” he growled, a surge of jealousy pluming in his chest at the thought of Y/n being this way with Donavan. 

As one of John’s palms searched her warm skin, eventually reaching up to cradle Y/n’s upper back, she brought her lips over his once again, sharing their longing breaths, “Then make me yours,” Y/n tilted her head, leaning in and almost letting their lips brush, teasing him. “Do it John,” she prompted enticingly, “Make me yours.”

In an instant, he’d crashed his lips to Y/n’s feverishly, holding her in place and humming roughly into her mouth as his only response. Y/n stumbled forward when John stepped back into the room. The way she responded against him was unmatched and for just a second, every bit of guilt he’d harbored because of his growing feelings for her vanished, if only it could stay gone.

“John,” a familiar voice intruded, urgency growing as he ignored it, “John!”

It wasn’t Y/n, it couldn’t be her after all, and when John finally pulled away, he was greeted with the most gut wrenching sight; his Helen, standing in the doorway, hurt tugging at her features. She looked the way she did just before things got bad, before the long hospital stays and the machines. So impossibly beautiful, so incomparably pure and right then, so undeniably wounded. Her eyes, the ones he’d fallen for upon matching them for the very first time, welled up with tears, shining in the low light and her paled features were smeared with the twinge of betrayal. 

“How could you?” She sobbed, just as John untangled himself from Y/n, not noting the way her face changed, focused only one one thing; his wife.

How could he?

“Helen!” John brushed past Y/n, following Helen out into the hall, just as the hem of her white dress fled the corner. But he could hardly run fast enough and before John could reach for her arm, she was gone.

“Helen,” John shot up in his bed, breathing heavily as he lunged forward. Even with his eyes now open, adjusting themselves to being so suddenly opened, he swore he could still see Helen as if she were right there, at the foot of his bed, tears in her eyes as a result of his betrayal. It was exactly what he’d been afraid of; betraying her memory. John couldn’t do that to her, he’d fought for his life just so he could live to remember her, the love they had. The only love he ever had.

Scrubbing his hands over his face and then through his hair, before turning on the lamp at his bedside and pulling open the drawer of his nightstand. What he sought laid at the top, and without hesitation, John brought out a picture and a little card out, holding them each in one hand. Every time he looked at the photograph, the memory would come back like it was yesterday, that day at the beach, when in each other’s arms was the only place either of them wanted to be. They’d known she was sick then too, but times were simpler and treatment had been working well. They had time, time to build a home, plan a life, be in love. 

Before Helen, that day he’d laid eyes on her in that restaurant, John didn’t think his heart had ever beat that fast. For a long time, he lived, fought for his life in the military and then under the mob, but when he met her, John, for the very first time, felt truly alive. And when she died a year and a half prior, part of him did too. Even if the love he had for her would never waver.

A lone tear fell dripped onto the photo and John’s teeth tugged on his lower lip to suppress a sob as he opted to shift his burning gaze to the letter. One of the last things he had to remember her by. Daisy was long gone; stolen by a fool who’d cashed for an untimely death, but John had held on to that letter. The only reason he’d still had it was because he’d had left it in his car, which, thankfully had been in the shop when his house had been destroyed by another dead fool. That card had kept him sane in dark times and had given him a glimmer of hope in quieter moments. 

“....you still need something, someone, to love.”

“........and now that I have found my peace, find yours.”

Loving again didn’t even seem possible, and it didn’t seem right either. And even if the glimmer of affection he felt of Y/n should have given John hope for a better tomorrow, she was tainted, corrupted; there was no peace there. Not for him and certainly not for them together. 

Bringing the picture to his lips, John swallowed tightly as he kissed Helen’s image, desperately wishing that things could have been different. He’d have burned the world down if it would save her life. But it wouldn’t have, and it was taking time, but he was learning to accept that. Returning the keepsakes to their security, John pulled himself out of bed, trudging out towards the kitchen hoping to find some remedy for the dryness in his throat. 

As usual, his steps were silent and hardly noticeable and John was just about to turn off from the corridor and enter when something stopped him in his tracks. At first, he’d thought his ears were betraying him, that perhaps he was still caught in his all too vivid dream, until he poked his head out, confirming the more logical explanation. Much to his surprise, Y/n stood in the kitchen, a wine glass on the counter, near a bottle while she had her back pressed against the large integrated refrigerator, head bent and hands pressed to her face as she elicited muffled sobs. Her frame shook slightly and her breaths were audible and ragged.

The sight was more than peculiar, it was surprising and wildly unexpected, yet still, John yearned to go into the kitchen and encourage her towards his chest and hold her until she was okay. Even if he’d had caught her shedding a tear or two in her bedroom a couple mornings ago, he’d never taken Y/n for the type that cried her eyes out when no one was looking, though he supposed that everyone had their limits, things that broke them down and reduced them to a state where nothing else seemed possible. His was Helen, he wondered if Y/n’s was her mother. 

A loud, hitching breath left John dashing for cover, pressing his back to the wall, and peeking out once again soon after, just in time to see Y/n slide down the silver door onto the floor as untamed sobs grew louder. He ached, physically, to go over to her, but the idea weighed heavy on his mind and knowing Y/n, she probably wasn’t seeking comfort anyway, so instead, John gave her what he thought she’d appreciate more; the solitude that he usually craved when reduced to tears, toeing back down the hall, and hoping that by morning she’d be okay.

******

Tagging-@harrisongslimited @magnificentclodpiebanana @keandrews @greenmanalishi  @rdjloverxxx @danceoftwowolves  @planetkt @wheretheriversrunintothesea  @jupiterdawngirl

[acsversace-news]

There are obvious parallels between Ricky Martin’s life as an international celebrity and Gianni Versace’s brand of glamour and hedonism. Both sold sex appeal as part of their brands while living as gay men. In the FX show American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Versace makes a conscious decision to publicly come out in 1995 during an interview with The Advocate. Martin came out in 2010, saying that the act made him feel free and liberated: “I could say I love myself completely,” he told Oprah afterward. In ACS, Martin plays Antonio D’Amico, the supportive, longtime partner of the late fashion designer.

“Unlike Darren [Criss, who plays serial killer Andrew Cunanan in the series] I brought all my emotions back home with me,” an exuberant Martin told a group of reporters after the TCA panel. In a brief but warm interview with Vulture beforehand, Martin discussed his conversations with Antonio D’Amico, the homophobia of the police interrogation, and how he wrestled with his own coming-out process.

Did you meet Antonio D’Amico, the person you’re portraying? A couple of times we met. It was difficult for me to find him, but then I found him. It was like, “FBI, find Antonio!” Because I just wanted to do justice to his story, you know? I’m telling the story of someone who is alive, and I cannot jump in front of the camera without having an interaction with him. So we found him, and he was so open and so vulnerable. I told him, “Antonio, I just want to do justice to your love for Gianni. And I want you to tell me what your love was about, for the audience to see what it was about.”

I want to normalize relationships like this. It’s good for the world; it’s good for me as a gay man with kids. It’s important that we shed some light on power couples like this, even though he was quiet and behind the scenes and he was just there supporting his man for 15 years. I also believe there was a level of homophobia going around in his family where he was hiding, even though he says, “My relationship was very open and free with Gianni.” So I used that as well in front of the camera, and for that, I will always be very thankful.

What kind of insight did he give you into his relationship with Versace? He told me about Gianni’s character, and he told me about how he would react when there were different situations that would arise in the day-to-day. “Gianni would not pick up his clothes from the floor. He would take a shower and he would leave his shirt there, so it was me after him, picking up,” and “He was extremely organized with everything that had to do with Gianni the Enterprise. Extremely organized, very focused and extremely on top of things with everything! But in his personal life, he had me picking up after him.”

The silent person behind the scenes. The silent person behind the scenes, yeah. One of the toughest scenes that I shot [was] the first, the interrogation when the FBI is investigating Antonio. It was a very excruciating scene for me. I mean, this guy was opening every door that was a secret from Gianni’s and Antonio’s relationship. I’m talking about bringing men into our lives. I’m talking about bringing escorts. That exposure is very heavy, and it can be extremely uncomfortable for me, for the family, but I’m here doing a job, and the story, once again, needs to be told, for people to see the level of unity between these two. The level of commitment after 15 years. The level of security between them and trust between them is so solid. We want to normalize another kind of reality for open relationships. And that’s what we’re doing. There’s absolutely nothing wrong. We’re just two very self-secure men that are completely in love with each other, that trust each other to the maximum level, and here we are. But the scene was very intense and painful. Excruciating. It was a long day.

How much do you feel like homophobia was a part of that? Ignorance! Oh my god, every question was so ignorant coming from this guy. And I’m like, “What are you talking about? He’s my boyfriend, my partner.” But even for me, in the ’90s, it was difficult to say the word “boyfriend.” I wish I could have said “my husband” back then, in order for people to understand. But before that interrogation, it’s still confusing, even now, if you have a boyfriend that brings escorts to you for you to have intimacy with. But that is the reality for many men and women, and I cannot say only in the gay world. There are many relationships that are open.

What’s your relationship like with Penélope Cruz? Because you have an adversarial relationship in the show, but I assume that’s not how it is in real life. First of all, we’ve worked together many, many, many times, philanthropically. We’ve done fundraisers together. We were sponsors of a very beautiful orphanage in Calcutta, so we did fundraising galas, and we’ve known each other for a long time. It’s funny because as I am shooting the scene of the investigation, I hadn’t seen Penélope. She walks onto set already dressed up as Donatella, and of course, I am drained and I’m tired and it’s been hours of this excruciating interrogation, and all of a sudden she walks in and I just go like [Martin holds his hand out]. I want to hold you, but I want to hold my friend. But I go like that [holds his hand out again] and Ryan goes, “Great idea! We need this for the shot, so stay there, and you cannot hug him. You hate him.” She came back to me and goes, “Rick, I saw you devastated. Your eyes were swollen. I needed to give you a hug.” And I’m like, “And you didn’t.” “But I wasn’t allowed to!” “You didn’t.” “I wasn’t allowed! It was better for the acting.” I’m glad we didn’t hug because all that made even more of [an] impact for the series.

You used the actual emotion that you felt. I wanted to hug you. I really wanted to. But Antonio, after being interrogated for nine hours, he’s filled with blood. The first person that he sees that he knows is her, and even though they don’t have a good relationship, he’s like, “Hug me, I need someone to hug me.” And it took it to the next level. And Penélope is amazing. I was very honored to work with her.

The scene where Gianni decides to come out to the interviewer and then he brings you with him was really emotional for me. And for me. You have no idea.

What was it like to shoot it? Well, you know, for many years I lived in the closet, and you will never know how easy it is to be out of the closet until you actually decide to come out of the closet. If I knew how easy everything was going to be afterward, I would have done it way before. So, I went to that moment and I went to the relationship, where I held my partners pretty much prisoners of my closet, so as an actor it was very easy for me to get somewhere emotionally. And I felt a joy, and I felt the love come from my partner. Honestly, I went to my real life where I was hiding them, and then the other side of the coin, my partner is exposing our truth, our reality, and it felt amazing and I cried. But it was joyful, and when I held Edgar — Gianni’s — hand, I wanted to kiss him, and we did. He was nervous. It’s one of the most beautiful scenes, I think.

It’s so joyful and empowering too. And at the end of the day, I had no idea that he was going to bring me in, it just happened. I was like, “What’s going on here? Is this really happening? Oh my God!”

Because it’s not just “I’m a gay man,” but “This is the man who’s been with me for so long.” It’s the love, and he needs to be recognized, acknowledged.

Gianni Versace has a line where he says, “Is the brand of Versace braver than the man?” when Donatella didn’t want him to come out. And I wondered if you wrestled with that question yourself in your life? Yes. Everybody, people that I love, people that were really close to me told me, “You come out, this will be the end of your career.” You know, “Girls won’t buy your albums, they won’t buy your T-shirts, they won’t buy your concert tickets,” and that kept me from coming out many years. Because you work so hard to get to a place in the entertainment business and then they tell you if you talk about your nature everything’s gonna collapse. So you say, “Okay, no. Okay, let’s just not talk about it then.” But then there’s this emptiness; it doesn’t matter what you created. Living with this emptiness, it’s not how I want to live. And then one day you find the strength, you don’t know from where, and you just do it for yourself, you do it for your kids, and then with social media you realize the power and how important it is for us in the LGBTQ community to normalize families like mine, and then it wouldn’t be an issue. I mean, Harvey Milk said it many years ago, “Guys, you need to come out, ’cause then it’s normal.”

But I can’t imagine what it would be like to be a megacelebrity whose brand relied on sex appeal. Yeah, you know, back then, Donatella or someone would say, “the board of directors advises not to…” and to me, it was “the record company advises not to,” which was b.s. Doesn’t matter. What’s important is what you need to do to become a better person, and with this — I go back to this scene — and how important it was to present this moment where you see this amazing fashion icon, a monster, strong, being vulnerable and afraid of sharing something as beautiful as your nature. You know, that scene where he holds me in the hallway before he walks into the room, that he gives me a kiss? He was trembling. And we all go through it at a certain point.

Did you ever meet Versace? I never met Versace. I was invited to the house a hundred times to different events. I never met Donatella. I never met him personally. At the time I had a campaign with Giorgio Armani, so everything was Armani and Giorgio Armani outfitted two of my tours, but I was invited to the villa and I never went. So I used the fact that it’s my first time in this villa and it felt amazing.

Did you date back in the ’90s, early 2000s? I was working like crazy in the ’90s. I had girlfriends, I had boyfriends, I had dog friends, I had cat friends. But my career never sabotaged my intimate life.

It didn’t? It didn’t, it didn’t. Now, I think I could have lived more intensely and I could have had more experiences that the closet kept me from.

Did you have a partner? No. I had my girlfriend, who was a woman that I dated on and off for nine years, and she’s like the Gala for Dalí. Dalí had Gala. And I had this woman who was amazing. Unfortunately, we don’t talk anymore, but she was amazing, and she was powerful and she knew about me. She knew I was gay, but we were together.

She knew? Yeah, she knew. She knew and we were together. It was one of those things, but we broke up around ’97, ’98, and then I just worked. I worked so hard. I dated, but nothing as serious, as formal as Antonio and Gianni.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

[chaoticghost21]

Prisoners of the Dark

So I wrote this almost two years ago but I still love it and never post it. I wrote this for my english class and also for a short story competition (it didn’t get entered because I turned it in late... oops lol) @allthe13reasonswhyheadcannons this is the non ship thing I mentioned. Also everyone ignore the emo band references. Also the fact that I called death The Black Parade lol

I was escorted into Dr. Way’s office, I was told he needed to talk to me. I sat in the chair, waiting for him to finish what he was doing prior. He put the files back into the cabinet and stood up, moving his chair closer to me. He grabbed my file before sitting down. he opened it and starting reading the last things written.

“Hello Jeydon, it’s been awhile since I’ve last seen you, how have you been?” he asked.

“I’ve been well,” I responded to my favorite doctor here. Dr. Way is in charge of therapy and actually talking to us, Dr. Gunn is in charge of medication and making sure that we eat and sleep , and then there’s Dr. Benson, the one in charge of treatment.

Dr. Way nodded and wrote something down, I hate when he does this. He writes something about you and you don’t know what it says, you also aren’t allowed to ever know. One of these days I will read what he wrote about me.

“Jeydon, Jeydon!” I was brought out of my thoughts by Dr. Way. I looked up at him, making eye contact, waiting for him to say something else. “So I’ve noticed you’ve been more social lately, how’s that been?” he finally asked.

“It’s been good, I never knew you could actually have fun in an institute,” I said with a smile.

He shook his head, “I’ll never understand teenagers.”

“Live while you can, no matter what the circumstances may be, you never know when you’ll be called to join The Black Parade.”

He smiled, “true, very true. How have you and Kyle been doing?” he changed the subject.

I smiled more at the mention of my boyfriend, “good, I’m gonna visit him once we’re done here.”

“Well we’re almost done,” he said. He asked me a few more questions and wrote some more things. “All right, now we’re done. I’ll see you, probably next week,” he said. I nodded and left.

I walked down the stairs leading to the third floor, Kyle’s floor. I reached it and walked down the hall to room 302. I knocked on the door in attempt to not scare him. I walked in when I heard his quiet voice giving me permission. He must have thought I was a doctor because his face lit up when he noticed it was me.

“Yes, not another doctor!” he cheered.

“How many today?” I questioned him.

“So far four.”

I sighed and hugged him hating that he had the most doctors bugging him out of everyone I knew here.

I sat next to him on his bed and he grabbed the guitar next to his bed and started playing. I sang along with him. I’m not sure how long we did this but the next thing we know, Dr. Gunn walked into the room telling us that it was time for dinner and that Kyle had an appointment with Dr. Way afterwards. He put the guitar up and grabbed my hand, leading me to the  cafeteria.

We entered the cafeteria and instantly spotted our group sitting at the isolated corner table. We got our food and sat down in some of the empty seats. I spoke up, “where’s Alexx and Talia?”

“Their rooms; Talia’s sick and Alexx wasn’t doing well today,” Ash said.

I nodded and continued eating.

The next hour was filled with talking and laughter until Kyle had to go see Dr. Way. The rest of us stayed at the table for a while longer before deciding to go to the game room. We played some board games and messed around until it got late and we decided to go to bed. On my way to my room, I passed Talia’s. I went in to check on her but discovered she wasn’t there. Thinking she was either with a doctor or in the bathroom, I left and continued to my room where I fell into a nightmare filled sleep.

When I woke in the morning I went to meet with the group. I noticed everyone there but Talia. Confused, I asked, “is Talia still sick?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“Where is she then?”

“Jey, she,” Ash paused and sighed, “she was murdered last night.”

“What?” I asked, hoping it was just a joke.

Kyle’s soft voice broke through, “she was murdered last night. They found her dead in her room.”

“Oh my god, do they know who did it?”

They all shook their heads again.

I sighed and shook my head as I started eating. I was thinking about her and who would want to hurt her, we will avenge her and she will get what she truly deserves.

The day went by quickly, police showing up to investigate the murder and questioning us. They kept us in our rooms in case the murderer was still here. I hope they find the person.

The day may have been uneventful but the night was the opposite. Two more bodies were found, both murders. The next day was when the building turned chaotic, doctors missing, orderlies found dead, patients found dead, no one was safe.

It turned into ‘everyone for themselves’ and ‘battle of the fittest’, everyone was trying to live but they knew they couldn’t do it alone, yet who can they trust.

We’ve organized a group, Alexx, Ash, Austin, Kyle, and I. Ash and I went to scope out the building and find the best escape route, as we were going to escape that night. Ash and I gathered all the supplies we’d need and headed back to our ‘base’, aka Kyle’s room. We arrived there, setting our supplies on the bed.

“The front door will be our best way of escaping. The camera is broken and no one guards it, however it is locked. A quarter after midnight we will make our way down there and I will pick the lock. I need the rest of you to keep watch,” I said with everyone agreeing.

We all went our own rooms and packed for the night. We got everything we would need and prepared for midnight.

It was a quarter to midnight, our set meeting time. All of us were there except for Alexx.

“We should look for her,” Kyle said hesitantly, almost as if he were afraid to voice his thoughts.

“I agree with Kyle,” Ash said.

Austin and I nodded in agreement.

“So do we split up or?” I asked, my voice trailing off.

“I think that you and Ash should go and Kyle and I will go,” Austin said.

We nod and head in separate directions, the boys on the lower floors and us on the higher. We took the walkie-talkies that we stole, Kyle and I having them. Ash and I walked into a room, smelling like rotting meat.

“Ugh, what’s that smell?” Ash said, disgusted.

I flicked on the light, seeing dead bodies piled everywhere. There were pools of blood on the floor and some of the bodies seemed to be rotting.

“That,” I said in response to her question.

We looked through the bodies, some looking familiar, others not.

I grabbed my walkie-talkie, calling kyle, “we’re in room 334. Dead bodies everywhere, help us search.”

Almost immediately I heard Kyle’s voice, “we’ll be there soon.”

“Kyle and Austin will be here soon to help us look.”

She nodded.

The boys soon arrived and we began searching. We found the bodies of some friends, more tears falling with each one found. So far we had found Talia and Spencer, putting them into a separate pile, planning on giving them a proper burial.

Kyle soon made a loud noise and started crying. We all ran over to him, seeing the body of Damon, his best friend. I held him as he cried.

“G-Guys?” Ash stuttered.

I look over to see her pointing at a body, the one belonging to Alexx. We all went silent, mourning the losses of our friends.

Kyle broke the silence, “we need to leave now.”

“Yeah, let’s go before the dark takes more prisoners tonight,” Ash said, wiping her eyes.

We got down to the first floor, walking to the door when we heard crying. We all stopped, trying to find the source.

“It’s coming from over there,” Austin said, walking to it.

We followed him, finding a small boy hiding behind boxes.

Austin kneeled down, putting a hand on his shoulder, “hey, are you okay?”

The kid shook his head.

“Well, I’m Austin. What’s your name?”

“T-Tyl-ler,” he stuttered.

“Well Tyler, we’re getting out of here, do you want to come with us?”

He nodded and Austin helped him up.

I suddenly felt light-headed, I looked to Kyle, “I don’t feel so good.”

Jeydon collapsed to the floor, getting up moments later. It seemed as though she had changed and was no longer herself. She carried herself differently and no longer held the same demeanor.

“Jey?” Kyle asked hesitantly.

She glared at him, nothing but anger in her eyes. She looked over at the table where a pair of scissors lay and something snapped. She ran over to the table and grabbed the scissors. Austin and Ash ran over to try and stop her. She launched herself at Kyle, pinning him between her and the table. She held the scissors to his neck, ready to stab him. Austin tackled her and Ash went to Kyle. They heard Austin scream and look over to see him with a pair of scissors in his neck and Jeydon leaning over him.

“Jeydon,” Ash said to get her attention.

She looked up, “I’m not Jeydon.” The voice had an eerie feeling. It was deeper than Jeydon’s, but still had the same timbre.

“Then who are you?”

She stood up, fully looking at Ash, “I’m Oliver.”

Ash was standing in front of ‘Oliver’, Kyle was hiding, and Tyler was going to join him. As Tyler moved, ‘Oliver’ grabbed the scissors from Austin’s neck, throwing them at him, lodging them, in his carotid artery.

As Tyler fell so did ‘Oliver’. One dead, one living. Oliver, or Jeydon started to get up.

“Jey?” Ash asked.

“Ash?” the voice sounded like Jeydon. “Ash what happened? Why’s Austin dead? Why’s Tyler dead? Are you okay? Where’s Kyle? Is he okay?”

Ash understood then what was going on. “You collapsed and the killer, Oliver, came in, killed the two of them, and Kyle’s hiding. He left as you started to wake up.”

Jeydon nodded and called for Kyle, getting no response.

“He ran out of the room.”

“Let’s go find him.”

The girls walked out of the room and began their search. They started with the third floor, knowing Kyle would go some place that was comfortable. They searched his room first, finding nothing before going to Dr. Way’s office. They looked around, finding Kyle behind the chair.

Ash crouched down next to him, “come on Kyle, let’s get out of here.”

He nodded and climbed out, freezing when he saw Jeydon.

“Kyle, it’s just me, Jeydon.”

He nodded, unsure.

They started walking out and something caught Jeydon’s eye. She grabbed it, seeing it was her file, taking it and leaving. She ran to catch up with them and the three walked together. A thud was heard as Jeydon fell and Oliver got up. Ash and Kyle froze, not knowing what to do.

Oliver started walking towards Ash. She backed away slowly, tripping over something and falling. Kyle ran to help her, Oliver kept getting closer.

“Kyle run!” she screamed.

“And leave you to die?”

“Kyle, I’ll be fine, just go. Please, go.”

He sighed and nodded, “fine.”

Kyle ran off and Ash started to get up, staring down Oliver.

Oliver watched her, pulling out something from behind his back. As he got closer, he revealed what he had hidden, a knife. Ash was terrified yet refused to show fear. She stood there, waiting for him. He started playing with the knife creepily, smiling at the same time, just staring at her. Ash stayed standing there. He knocked her down, pinning her to the floor. She kicked and squirmed to get him off. To no avail on her part, he plunged the knife into her stomach. She cried out as he got off of her and walked away, leaving her to bleed out.

Oliver then collapsed and Jeydon got up. She was confused as to why she was alone and covered in blood. She remembered she had her file. She pulled it out and began reading. Jeydon Noah, 17, Multiple Personality Disorder.

“What?” Jeydon said to herself, not knowing this.

She kept reading. The strongest personality is called ‘Oliver’. Oliver was the name of the murderer. She had blood on her. It all made sense. She was the murderer.

“No, no, oh god, no!” she cried out.

She thought back on all the murders. She thought they were dreams, nightmares. But in reality, they were real. It was her, trapped in her own body, having no control over herself, watching as she murdered her friends. The blood on her belonged to Ash, her best friend. She looked around, debating her options. She had to get out, had to get rid of him. She had to kill him. She looked over, finding a window. She walked to it, hitting it as hard as she could, with whatever objects she could, until it shattered. She climbed into the window and looked down, she was up four stories high. She then heard it, the voice. He was yelling, “don’t kill me, don’t kill me.”

“It’s in your head Jeydon, you need to get rid of him!”

The voice kept yelling. She couldn’t take it anymore and jumped, falling to the ground below. As she jumped, she whispered, “goodbye Oliver.”

Jeydon woke up some time later, lying in a hospital bed. She had casts on and bandages everywhere. She felt a presence next to her and looked over to find Kyle.

“Kyle?” she questioned.

He looked up at her, “Jey, you’re awake?”

She nods, “I killed him, he’s gone, Oliver’s gone.”

Kyle’s face lit up, “I’ll be right back.” He ran out of the room, coming back a few moments later.

“Jey?” a female voice asked.

She looked up, “Ash?”

She nodded, “I’m not dead, Kyle saved me. I would’ve bled out if he didn’t find me and bind the wound.”

“Thank god you’re okay. I’m so sorry Ash.”

“Jey, it’s not your fault.”

“I still did it.”

“Well he’s gone now, right?

“Yeah.”

“Then it won’t happen again,” Ash said.

Jeydon smiled and nodded, looking at her boyfriend and best friend.

Kyle smiled, leaning down and kissing her. She smiled, kissing back.

“Ew, PDA,” Ash said, fake gagging.

the two pulled away, laughing at her.

“I love you Jeydon.”

“I love you too Kyle.”

“What, no love for me?” Ash joked.

“We love you too Ash,” the three hugged.

Jeydon smiled, happy with the two of them, “I will never hurt anyone again.”

A voice was heard in Jeydon’s head, “I’m back Jeydon, you can’t get rid of me.”

[riotactquotes]

Great Britain, Parliamentary Papers, 1887

Page 2: 1. What is your name sire? — Alfred Austin Walker. 2. You are a magistrate of this district? — I am a magistrate of the county of Denbigh. 3. Were you at the disturbance which took place on the 16th June? — Yes. 4. What caused you to be there? — By request of Major Ledbetter, the chief constable. I attended as magistrate in charge of the police and troops. 5. To read the Riot Act, if necessary? — I presume so.

Page 3: 14. (The Commissioner.) Did the police continue to go on, and did this mob still follow, or did it stop then? (Mr. Walker.) I did not notice. As I was going down the hill I met Moses Williams, who called me to witness that he had nothing to do with that disturbance. He was then coming up the lane from the crowd. I then went on down to the bottom of the hill, where I found a number of the police drawn up, and I remind there a little time. Some stones were thrown than from the hedge bank above the lan, the main lan, as I may call it. There are two lans, a small lateral lane, in which the contest took place, and the main lan, which leads to Mochdre, and on the up valley. At this time, the police were sent to clear the hedges and take the pool away from there. Of course, I saw nothing that passed behind those hedges, and know nothing of what took place there; but, finally, the soldiers first, and then the police, were marched off down to Mochdre, those policemen who had been clearing the hedges following in the rear of the others. As thy came down the last stone that I saw thrown came across. It was thrown from the bed of the brook below the main lane. The brook there is really parallel with the lane, and the stone cross diagonally in front of me, I being with the police who were forming the rear, and I rather thought from the sound of it, after it had passed the angle, that it had struck someone on the leg or a boot. The noise was just such as it would make in striking a boot. We then went on through Mochdre to the high road. We turned up another lane from the village of Mochdre. It is the old road apparently to Colwyn Bay, but we only went a short distance, to the farm there, to Peurallt Inn, and there there was a considerable discussion went on with a farmer, but with what result I do not know. I was not particularly interested in anything there. I spoke to the crowd, and advised them to go home quietly, and save the necessity of reading the Riot Act, which hitherto had not been done. I think the crowd had some fun then. At any rate the crowd still continued to follow us, and the matter having been settled, as I supposed, there in some way, we went into the high road and along it to Peurallt Isa, and there was a further discussion, and at the request of Mr. George, the magistrate’s clerk of Abergele, I then read the Riot Act, which was translated into Welsh by Serjeant Lewis, who is accustomed to act as interpreter at the Abergele police. From there we went to Glan-yn-evern. There was no further disturbance after that, and we then marched from there to Colywn Bay. I left them before they got to the bay, and passed by a shortcut to my own house, as I considered my duties were done. That is the end of the proceedings so far as I have got anything to do with them.

Page 4: 25. (By Mr. Lloyd.) Now, Mr. Walker, did you read the Riot Act? — I have already said I did. 26. Did you read the Riot Act the moment you found it was necessary? — As I have already said, I read it at the request of Mr. George. (Major Ledbetter.) Might I ask a question? I want to ask him whether, when the police were marched down the hill from the top, they were marching in perfect good order? (Witness.) Yes, perfectly, as far as I could judge, by two and two. 27. Do you think, from the appearance of the crowd of people round about there, that the military and police were superfluous? — The military and police superfluous! Certainly not. 28. Well, you do not think I had too large a force for the amount of organization and resistance that seems to have been put in motion? — No, I think if you had had a smaller force there would have been a much greater row. 29. Did you read the Riot Act as soon as you found it necessary? — I read the Riot Act because Mr. George asked me. 30. Not because you thought it necessary? — (No answer.) 31. (By the Commissioner.) Did you think it necessary? — I thought the whole row was over, and I did not think it was necessary. 32. (By Mr. Lloyd.) You read it when you did not think it necessary to read it, but because your clerk thought it necessary? — That is it.

Page 6: At this farm the Riot Act was read, but the magistrate who read it thought the whole disturbance was then over, and he himself did not think it necessary to read it, but did it at the request of his clerk. Nothing of importance occurred afterwards.

It will be seen that there was at on time during the conflict great danger of a disaster owing to the steepness of the lane, and if the rush had thrown many of the police down, lives would probably have been lost, and the struggle would have lasted longer, and many more persons been injured. But owing to the prompt action of the police, the affray was soon at an end.

Page 8: 184. At that time Mr. Walker, who read the Riot Act? Was he close by? — I did not see him just then. 185. Did you go down the lane? — Yes. 186. Did you throw a stone or use a stick while going down the lane? — No.

Page 20: 694. You did not see anything in reference to the reading of the Riot Act? — I heard the Riot Act read, but that was a little time after what I have been speaking about to you. 695. (By the Commissioner.) Where did the stones come from, as far as you saw? — From over the hedge. 696. And not from the lane? — No; I did not see any thrown from the lane.

Page 24: 824. Were they bleeding? — Yes, but they were all right walking about; after some conversation we went up the incline, the military went in front and the police after them, and we were in the centre. No sooner had we got unto the top of the road than a lot of stones were thrown again, and several of us took shelter under the hedge, because stones came from all directions. Then we went up to the second farm and there was a great number of people who stood on the highway, and Mr. Walker, the magistrate, got up there and told them to behave themselves and conduct themselves better, and one of the policemen also repeated it in Welsh. After we had received the money we went to the third farm, and there we stayed out on the highway. A great many people were assembled there at this time, and they seemed to get a little excited again there. Of course there was a deal of shouting and hooting, and I thought a little mischief was going on. Presently I heard the magistrate reading the Riot Act there, and after we got the money we went unto the next farm, and there we waited for some time. The crowd got into a field where the cattle were, and they wanted to send a bull round into the yard, but they seemed rather afraid of the bull themselves and kept a good way off. Mr. Moses Williams was rather a prominent member in that way again. Knowing the man, I shouted to him and asked him what he meant by collecting the people in the field. Then we went to Glanywern. As we came over there a few eggs and stones were thrown at us.

Page 26: 909. Do you know that Mr. Walker read the Riot Act there first? — No, Mr. Walker did not read it at the farm. (Mr. Lloyd.) Yes, higher up to the right nearer to the farm Mr. Jones says that Mr. Walker read the Riot Act. (The Commissioner.) The Riot Act was not read there at all according to the previous evidence. (Mr. Cartwright.) I am going to call the solicitor who was present, and advised the Riot Act to be read. (Mr. Lloyd.) Then I will not waste time by asking this witness questions upon it.

Page 27: 948. You were in company with Mr. Walker, and were present when the Riot Act was read? — Yes. 949. Will you explain what were the particular reasons which induced you to advise him to read the Riot Act? — Until the actual riot, as it may be termed, took place, there were no signs beforehand of a riotous or tumultuous assembly as intended by the Riot Act, or which would justify the reading of the proclamation of the Riot Act. Immediately after things cooled down a little I spoke to the magistrate and chief constable. 950. Were they in a very dangerous position if the Riot Act had been read at that time? — Possibly some of us would have been killed by tho stones or other missiles being thrown from the side of the hill into the lane, and the police were ordered to march off and keep out of danger’s way as quick as possible. We had got nearly to the village of Mochdre, some distance from tho hollow, when things had cooled down, and there was then no apparent tumult or riot at that time. We went on and things kept quiet until we got to another farm; I do not know the name of it. It was not the next farm, but the next to it. 951. (The Commissioner.) The next one but one? — Yes. At that farm there was a large number of persons gathered together, and there was evidently another attack intended, an intention to act riotously and tumnltuously from their remarks and their conduct, and then it was, in order to let the persons there who did not know the danger they ran if they remained in that condition, that the Riot Act was read. 952. (The Commissioner.) How far was that from where the military were first of all? — That would be, I should think, half a mile. 953. In which direction? Towards the main road? — It would be in the main read. 954. Was it to the right after you got into the road from the hollow, or to the left? — Further away from Mynydd. We went to Mynydd, and from Mynydd, and then on to the main road, where the Riot Act was read when the people were gathering in large numbers. 955. (The Commissioner.) In the main road? — Yes. 956. Then the crowd followed all the way down from Mynydd? — I cannot say the same crowd did. 957. Still there was a crowd? — Yes. There was a large number of persons, but I cannot say it was the same crowd that followed us from the lane. I am under the impression when the Riot Act was read, there were a large number of persons who were not in the lane.

Page 28: 958. Did they disperse immediately after reading the Riot Act? — No. 959. How long did they remain there? How long did you remain? — We remained at the farm in which the distrainers had done their work. But how long after that would be I cannot say. Probably ten to twenty minutes. Then we went to another farm, and a number of public went with the military and the police. 960. (Mr. Cartwright.) But after the Riot Act was read, things seemed to pass off very quietly, I suppose? —It had some effect on the surrounding persons. 961. Did you see anything else? — I saw some rotten eggs which evidently had been thrown at the military and tho police by the public who were passing along by the hedge side when I was walking with the military to Colwyn. 962. Was there anything else that occurred within your view? — No. 963. That is all you know about it then? — That is all.

Page 29: 994. Did you suggest to Mr. Walker that if the Riot Act was read, the people would have to disperse in an hour, or if they did not you would have them up for felony? (The Commissioner.) The Act of Parliament decides that. 995. (Mr. Lloyd.) I want to know whether Mr. George, the magistrates’ clerk, suggested to Mr. Walker that the Riot Act should be read, and that if the people did not disperse, then he could have them brought up for felony? — Witness did not answer the question. 996. I want to know whether you said that, or not. Did you say it? — Allow me to explain. When I take a duty to perform, I am generally fortified, and I have a copy of the law applicable to riots from Stone's Synopsis, which I read to Mr."Walker. That is what I did, so that he may understand what his powers were. 997. You read the law as given in Stone's Synopsis. Did you, or did you not, address Mr. Walker when the crowd was comparatively quiet? — Did you not say, "If they do not disperse in an hour we can have them brought up for felony“? — My recollection is that Mr. Walker understood this before, when I explained to Mr. Walker what the consequences would be, if the Riot Act and the proclamation were read, that 12 persons being there, and such 12 persons did not after one hour disperse, that would be a very serious offense, and that such 12 persons, if charged, would be liable to be convicted for felony. 998. Did you say nothing more than "Read this proclamation”? Did you say that the punishment might be penal servitude for life? — No, I do not recollect anything of the kind. 999. I dare say you did read that proclamation. But did you without reference to that document at all say, "I recommend you to read the Act. After this, if they do not disperse, we can have them up for felony." Did you say that, or not? (We can have them up for felony)? — Certainly not. 1000. What did you say? — I simply as clerk to tho justices considered it my duty to read the proclamation — to read the law to Mr. Walker. 1001 (The Commissioner.) Let the witness explain exactly what he did. He said, "I first read Stones' view of the law upon it, then I told Mr. Walker what Stone had said. I told and explained to Mr. Walker that he could not read the proclamation unless there was then and there an excited riotous or tumultuous assembly." Did you tell him he was not to read the Riot Act unless there was present at the time he read it a tumultuous assembly? — (Witness) That is the law. I could not read the proclamation except the riot was going on. 1002. (Mr. Lloyd.) At the time you read tho Riot Act, I understand that you told him there must be a tumultuous assembly? — Yes. 1003. Was it of his own mind, or was it at your request that that Act was read? — As magistrate's clerk and adviser to the magistrates, I have nothing to do with reading the Riot Act. It was simply the  law. The magistrate knew what his duties were when I was there. He was to act on the law and not myself. 1004. I will take you now to the stone throwing. Had you suggested or read that document to him previously? — My impression is that it was before this, I had a conversation with him on the road from the train upon the subject of reading the Riot Act. I thought there was no necessity for it. It was simply a casual conversation, but it was at the second farm. 1005. I do not want to jump from the crossing to the second farm. We will come first of all to the first farm? — There was no necessity of reading the Riot Act before the assault took place. 1006. Before you came to the village of Mochdre, you had explained the law to the magistrate in the course of walking along. Had you explained the law before you got to Mochdre? — My explanation is that we had a conversation about Mynydd; what was to be done in tho event of it being necessary to read the Riot Act, and the fact of it was until the riot took place the proclamation had not been read. 1007. I ask tho simple question that any agricultural labourer can answer. Yes or no, did you, before you got to Mochdre, explain to Mr. Walker what the Riot Act was? (The Commissioner.) He says distinctly, to the best of his opinion, it was before that. That is quite clear.

Page 30: 1010 In the interval of time that elapsed after passing from there in the first instance, and returning from it, did yon advise Mr. Walker in reference to the Riot Act, as to tho law, after the sudden assault and the military and police had got up the hill, and the crowd had dispersed from the side of the hill? — The things were virtually quiet then. It would have been ridiculous to have read the Riot Act then; but then when we got to the next farm and were waiting a few minutes with the appraisers, a large number of persons crowded about the military and police, and some of them were chaffing the police, and there was evidently a little tendency to act, perhaps, a little lively, and I just mentioned to Mr. Walker that possibly in order to get rid of the crowd, although there was not strictly at that time a riot going on, it might be of advantage to the crowd if the proclamation was then read, but on conferring together with the magistrate and chief constable, we came to the conclusion, unanimously, that tho state of things then would not justify the reading of the proclamation, as there was neither a riot or tumultuous assembly within the meaning of the Act. 1011. Did Mr. Walker tell you at the time he read the Riot Act he saw any necessity to do so? — Certainly not. At the time the Riot Act was read, I should think it was twenty minutes or half an hour after we had left the second farm, and then bearing in mind what had happened on tho side of the hill, and the large number of persons congregated together in the road, and the apparent intention of some of them to be hostile, it was then considered by the magistrate advisable for the interest of peace that the proclamation should be read, and it was read.

Page 41: Major Ledbetter recalled, said: I remember at a farm at which the Riot Act was read, a man, he is here, or he was here today, called Owen, a schoolmaster, came to me and said, “There is some man here who has taken off his number,” or “There is a man in the crowd, a policeman, who has not his number on.” As a matter of fact, since I have been in court, I have noticed that the sergeant here has no number on his collar.

Page 60: 2169. You had not paid your tithes, Mr. Roberts? — But shall I finish with this? We want to Tanraltucha. I believe Mr. George was with the magistrate and asked him to read the Riot Act. There I asked Mr. Walker should I say something to the crowd, and I did so, both in English and in Welsh. I followed down, and in the lane I saw Mr. George. I told him this, “The will be no need of reading the Riot Act. I should not like to have that read. I do not think you will have any more now.” “Pooh, pooh,” he says. There was nothing at Tanralthuca to cause him to order the Riot Act to be read. After the Riot Act had been read I persuaded the men to disperse. I went to the top of a field on a hedge by Glangwern and persuaded all the people to go to a field to have a meeting to get them out of the road, and let the military and police go home quietly. While we were crossing that field the police were provoking us again and shouting after us. I must say the military were very quiet, but the police were provoking us. When we crossed that field we had a good idea of getting rid of them, but they would not allow us to go without molesting us.